


A Christmas Eve Surprise

by ButterflyField



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, F/M, Suggestive Themes, Supernatural Season 5, Surprises, There's even a puppy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21878656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ButterflyField/pseuds/ButterflyField
Summary: Sometimes it's very hard to get excited about Christmas. But if you're really lucky, a sweet, playful archangel may just come along and help you with that...
Relationships: Gabriel/OFC, Gabriel/Original Female Character
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

Mandy expected Christmas this year to be like any other day. She rarely made a huge deal out of it any more, since her family was gone. And not many people close to her made a big fuss over Christmas anyway. They might casually invite her out for a drink on Christmas Eve, or over for a simple dinner. Or send a quick text. She usually kept both days relatively quiet, though she would try to do something for herself at some point, something she enjoyed, on Christmas Eve in particular. In her younger years, when she had family to spend it with, Christmas Day was quiet, with maybe just movies and snacking and being lazy. But Christmas Eve was when they would actually celebrate. So even though she was pretty much alone any more, she would still at least try to treat herself to something extra -- a nice meal out, or a movie or show, or even a massage. The times where she found it hard to muster even that, she still made it a point to do something, no matter how small.

This year definitely felt different though. So much had happened. They had lost people. The apocalypse was looming. Everyone seemed to be struggling in their own ways. Too many surprises, bad surprises no less. It made her really just want to skip past it altogether. 

She found herself going to bed the night before Christmas Eve, laying there thinking maybe she would just stay in bed most of the next day. Or get up eventually and catch up (or get ahead) on a lot of work. Or organize her closets and drawers. Or clean …. everything. Basically, she just didn’t think she wanted it to be a typical holiday, no matter how atypical her holidays were anyway. She finally fell asleep, pretty much with the idea that she would just treat the next day like any other day.

So it was to her surprise that the alarm on her phone went off the next morning. She opened her eyes and lifted her head with a frown. She had not turned her alarm on the night before -- she was almost positive. Granted, at least it was not the crack of dawn – she had slept in a little. But still, she could not understand why the alarm was ringing. And as she grabbed it and went to turn it off, it changed from ringing to playing “Merry Christmas Baby” by Otis Redding. She frowned again, confused and wondering if she was actually still asleep – especially when she realized there were twinkling lights blinking, strewn across the wall opposite her. She stared at them stupidly for a second, then turned her attention back to the phone that was blasting music at her. She hit the Dismiss button, but it continued to play. She hit the button again, but the song was still playing. She was beginning to get flustered, and toyed with throwing it across the room, when she heard a familiar voice beside her, singing the words quietly. Her head turned to the right, where the singing was coming from, and she saw Gabriel casually curled up on the bed beside her, his head propped on his elbow, giving her a sly look and singing a little more dramatically now that she was watching him. She stared at him (and the new little tabletop tree on the nightstand behind him) in disbelief, her mouth open in surprise, a smile tugging at the corners. He finished singing the first verse as he slowly crawled closer to her, the song on her phone finally stopping at the same time. He leaned forward the remaining distance and kissed Mandy lightly.

"Merry Christmas Eve, cutie pie," he said with a warm smile, his eyes looking affectionately into hers.

"What are you doing here?" Mandy asked, surprise in her voice, as her cheeks flushed a little.

“Couldn’t have you skipping out on your once-favorite holiday, now could I?"

“What?” she asked, half shocked. “I never told you it was-- how did you know that?”

He pointed to himself. "Hello-oo … archangel…” He raised an eyebrow. “Besides … how could I not know something so important to you? Let alone make sure you treated yourself to it? " he said mischievously. Mandy smiled, knowing her cheeks were still flushed. She was about to say he really shouldn’t have, but she stopped herself. “Good save,” Gabriel said, obviously reading her thoughts.

“Hey…” she said gently, giving him an almost pleading look. “Don’t do that.”

“You know I don’t _try_ to read your thoughts,” he said, playfully defensive. “They’re just so … loud… sometimes. You need to work on that,” he said, teasing. Then he gave her another doting look. “And anyhow …. _you_ may think you don’t need to indulge yourself. But I’d argue with anyone who says something that brings you joy isn’t something to celebrate.”

She looked down, a little self-conscious and hoping she wasn’t still blushing, but she couldn’t help breaking into tiny smile. She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it a little, then looked back up into his amber eyes fondly, hoping he could sense her gratitude.

Gabriel kissed her on the nose, then paused to look at her for a few seconds. "So … are we just going to lie here in bed being all lovey-dovey and sickeningly sweet, or would you like a nice breakfast?" Gabriel asked.

Mandy chuckled. "Breakfast sounds nice," she said.

"I'll be right back," Gabriel said, climbing out the bed, turning once and pointing at her. “Don’t you go anywhere.”

“Can I at least get dressed?” Mandy asked.

“Nope,” he said quickly, and gave her an obvious glance-over. “You look incredibly sexy in those sweatpants.” He waggled his eyebrows once at her and turned and continued out of the bedroom. Mandy rolled her eyes with a chuckle and flopped back down on her pillow, wondering again if this was all perhaps a dream. “Wrong again,” his voice came from the other room. “It’s all real.”

“Stop that,” she called back, crossing her arms over herself but grinning from ear to ear.

Gabriel returned a few minutes later with two plates of pancakes, each one smothered with strawberries and whipped cream. Mandy sat up and looked at him in surprise.

"We’re celebrating, so I figured why not splurge a little?" Gabriel handed one of the plates to her and plopped down beside her.

"It's perfect. It looks amazing," she said with an appreciative smile.

  
“Well dig in then," Gabriel said as he skewered a strawberry with his fork and popped it in his mouth. 

Mandy scooped up a huge forkful as well, making sure to get some of everything. She took a bite, then closed her eyes. “These are so good,” she moaned around her mouthful of food. Realizing what she had done, she covered her mouth with her hand and snickered. “Sorry,” she mumbled again.

  
Gabriel chuckled at her. "It’s all right, babe. Your enthusiasm butters MY pancakes for sure." She snorted a laugh again, chewing and swallowing what she could. She dropped her hand, and he leaned over and kissed her, both their lips tasting like strawberries and whipped cream.

“This is just incredible," she said almost shyly. “I never expected today to be anything like this.”

“Which is exactly why I did it,” he said affectionately. “Now eat up … there’s plenty more on the schedule.”

Her eyes widened a little. “We have a schedule?” she asked, grabbing another forkful and shoving it as politely as she could into her mouth.

“Maybe … you’ll just have to wait and see,” he said with a wink.

Mandy ate silently for a few moments. Then after awhile she looked at him. “Seriously … how _did_ you know?” He gave her another look of _are you kidding_? “I know, I know … ‘archangel’ ,” she mimicked him lightly. “I meant you knowing I wasn’t going to do anything today, no plans.” She stared at him questioningly.

“Oh come on… I can’t surprise you? You can’t just have someone do something nice for you and not question it?” he lightly chided her.

“It’s not that,” she explained honestly. “I decided last night not to do anything for Christmas Eve, and you basically talked like you knew that. You made it sound like you knew I had no plans.”

He eyed her for a few moments, but she didn’t drop her gaze. Finally he sighed. “Okay, okay … I wondered if you were doing anything special for yourself.” He gave her a chastising look. “And I figured knowing you, the answer was probably no. So … I … kind of popped in last night … to check.”

She wrinkled her brow. “What?” she asked.

“Relax, nothing like that … I’m not a stalker – or a peeper,” he said defensively. “I just kind of … gave a feel-out … you know, for your mood, emotions, and what not.” She was still staring at him, and he held his hand up. “Hey, _you_ were the one radiating plenty of it. I told you … your thoughts are really loud sometimes. Not to mention your emotions. I’ll bet you’re terrible at poker…” he said facetiously.

Mandy rolled her eyes, but then looked over at the wall. She felt his hand cup her chin and she turned her head to look at him again. He was staring sweetly at her. “Hey … I just wanted to make sure you weren’t putting yourself last, yet again … which of course you were. And I wasn’t about to let that happen.” He dropped his hand from her chin. “So I started planning.”

She looked down at her plate. She hurriedly scooped up another mouthful and shoved it in so she didn’t have to say anything. She almost felt like she could cry if she let herself, which of course she would not. It was part sadness at what he had said that hit the nail on the head as always – she did put herself last. She often felt hesitant to celebrate anything about herself. But that just made her appreciate what he was doing even more. She wasn’t sure of his exact reasons for treating her the way he did -- sweet, giving, eager to make her happy -- whether that meant he really cared about her, or was just trying to have fun. But despite the ambiguity … she was glad he was there with her. Even today. Especially today. He WAS right. It was her favorite holiday once upon a time. And despite convincing herself otherwise, she DID miss it.

“So ….” she heard him say lightly, snapping her out of her thoughts and back to the present, “…you upset at me?”

She smiled at him tenderly and shook her head no. “Of course not.” She was through with questioning things, and ready to just enjoy his company as always … as well as whatever he had planned for her.

“Good,” he said. He nodded towards her plate. “Finish up then.”

She looked at her plate. There was about a third of the pancakes left. “I don’t think I can eat another bite. It’s delicious, but … I’m full.” 

“Well okay then,” he said. He reached out and took her plate, then twisted to place both plates on her nightstand. “So…” he said, turning back to her. "Present time?"

"I get presents too?" Mandy asked, her eyes lighting up a little.

"Of course," Gabriel said, climbing off the bed once again and walking over to her closet and opening it.

“Now when did you sneak something in there?” she asked, amused, and he turned his head back to her with a knowing look. He pulled out a large bag, large enough for Mandy to see from the other side of the room that it was stuffed with wrapped parcels. "You didn't have to get me _anything_ , let alone all that!" she exclaimed.

"Of course I did. I wanted to," he said with a soft smile. Mandy felt the familiar flutter of her heart and smiled back. He made his way to the bed, set the bag on the bed and handed her a card. “Open this first,” he said, joining her on the bed again.

Mandy smiled and opened the envelope. The card inside read “Merry Christmas, You Sexy Thing!' She laughed, opened the card and read what Gabriel had written: 'Happy holidays to my amazing, adorable, sexy girl. (P.S. You are all mine for today)’ Somehow he had drawn a face with his suggestive little eyebrow raise. She felt her cheeks flush a tiny bit again, and she smiled and shook her head. “You’re too sweet,” she said gently. She held the card to her chest for a second, then propped it up on her bedside table.

Gabriel pushed the bag closer to Mandy. "Go for it," he encouraged her. Mandy laughed and began tearing into them.

By the time she was finished, she had: several bars of dark chocolate (really good chocolate), an adorable little statue of two Christmas bunnies dancing, a couple of bra and panty sets from Victoria’s Secret (with an order from Gabriel that she had to model them before the day was up), a gold bracelet that had a beautiful Celtic design wrapped around it, a caricature picture of himself dressed as Santa that she could not stop giggling over, a vintage t shirt of her favorite band, and a teddy bear with a sweet smile and wings and a halo.

"Thank you … you couldn’t have picked any better," Mandy said, a genuine smile on her face, hugging the bear to herself. It was obvious he had thoughtfully chosen everything. Gabriel smiled back at Mandy's reaction, apparently pleased he had done well. He gently took the bear from her and moved everything to the side of the bed, and turned back to her, looking into her eyes for a few seconds. Then he threw himself forward at her, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her down on the bed, landing right on top of her as she let out a sound that was half shriek, half laugh. He kissed her once on the lips, then hungrily dove into kissing her neck, his hands running down her sides and lightly tickling across her stomach. She giggled and pushed on him, trying to roll him off of her, but he grabbed her hands and pinned her arms gently above her head. She laughed again and playfully bucked her hips against his, still trying to push him off and get some control. He made an appreciative noise at the contact, then he shifted his body to pin her down again with his thighs. She sighed with a chuckle and looked up into his face. “So … was _this_ part of the plan?” she asked him.

“A holiday tumble between the sheets? Oh yeah,” he said, planting a slow, sensuous kiss on her lips. “Of course, it technically was planned for later in the 'schedule'.”

She smirked. “Well I certainly don’t want to mess that up. I suppose I can wait.”

“Mmm,” he said as his look became more impish. “Oh believe me, we have time for *something*. You’re not getting off that easy.” Then he raised an eyebrow. “Or maybe you _are_.” He let her hands and arms go and she chuckled again at his innuendo.

“You are too much,” she said, curling her fingers through his soft hair as he started kissing down her stomach and she moaned softly. “Well I guess if you insis-- _ohhh_ ” her words were replaced with a louder moan. _Merry Christmas indeed._


	2. Chapter 2

After a quick shower and finding some cute yet casual clothes to wear, Mandy emerged from the bathroom and they were off. It was a simple yet fun filled day. Gabriel first took her ice skating, then to a museum she had always wanted to see. That was followed by a holiday concert of one of her favorite singers (apparently he snapped them about 900 miles away for that one). 

Following that was a ridiculous snowball fight that made her painfully aware of just how badly she sucked at it, in the most hilarious way -- she didn’t think anyone could get hit that many times or have that much snow on them. Even Gabriel started teasing her, “Come on babe …. you can’t possibly suck THIS bad,” making her laugh even harder until she was crying and doubled over. He finally just chased her around and let her pelt him a few times with snowballs, then conceded she was in fact the worst snowball fighter ever, which only made her laugh hysterically again.

After that he took her on a stroll through the small town, buying her a sandwich from the food truck, and a hot chocolate for each of them. Gabriel had just tossed their trash into a receptacle when he heard something almost like a squeal come from Mandy. “Oh, aren’t they adorable?" She was staring at a window they were just passing. Gabriel paused and turned to see what Mandy had found so adorable.

Contained within a little raised pen right at the window, there was a group of puppies, maybe a couple of months old, all mixed breeds and colors, tumbling around and playing with each other.

"They’re just about the cutest things I've ever seen!" Mandy said, giggling like a small child. Gabriel couldn’t help but smile at her, like he always did when she laughed or giggled.

"Hey, I thought *I* was the cutest thing you've ever seen,” he said playfully, and she turned and gave him an affectionate look. “Ok, sure, these guys are pretty cute too, I guess," he relented, smiling at the puppies and waving a finger back and forth across the glass. Some of the puppies followed his finger with their large, round eyes.

Mandy laughed in delight, then after a few seconds she sighed. "Sometimes I think I’d like to have a dog again. We had one when I was young."

"So why don’t you get one?" Gabriel asked.

  
"It wouldn’t work well. I feel like I’m gone too much.” She turned to him and gave a little shrug. “Besides, dogs need a lot more care than cats. I’m spoiled, I guess." Mandy looked back at the puppies. One puppy, with brown and white fur and golden brown eyes, approached the glass and placed a paw where Mandy's hand was.

"He likes you," Gabriel said.

"Aww...” she said wistfully. Then she smiled again. “And he's even got your eyes," she teased him.

"Oh please, spare me …" Gabriel groaned. Mandy giggled again, causing him to smile again as well. "Come on, sweet cheeks, let’s go.” He put his arm around her shoulders and guided her gently from the window. 

Mandy gave the puppies a look of yearning. “Bye, babies, “ she said sadly, waving. Gabriel took her hand, planting a gentle kiss on it and pulled her away, turning his head so she didn’t see the glint in his eyes as a plan formulated in his mind.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The final stop after that was a comedy club having a Christmas show to benefit the food bank. They laughed their way through several stand up routines and enjoyed a few beers. It wasn’t late by any means, but it had been a long, event-filled day and after she agreed it was probably time to head back, he snapped them back to her place.

They stood in her living room (which now had a large tree as well, bedecked with gaudy decorations and lights), and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “This was truly the best. Thank you for everything. “

He smiled and squeezed her waist. “Well you’re most welcome …. but it’s not over yet. I have one more present for you. It’s in the garage," Gabriel said as he gently disengaged from her and gestured for her to sit on the coach.

Mandy walked over to the couch and sat down, giving him a confused look. Why would he have yet another one for her, let alone in the garage? Gabriel just smirked at her like the cat who ate the canary, then snapped his fingers. A large box, wrapped in fun, colorful Christmas paper appeared at his feet.

  
"You have to open the card again first," Gabriel said, tossing the card to her. He gently moved the box closer to her, standing over it almost protectively.

Mandy smiled and opened the envelope. _Merry Christmas babe, hope you had a blast, since I did my doggone best to make it great! _She read it quickly, then looked up at him beaming. “Of course I did! I told you it was absolutely wonderful.”

“Glad to hear that,” he said and gave her an eyebrow waggle. “This should be the cherry on the cake then. So,” he nodded at the box, “open that up before we have a problem.”

Mandy scrunched her brow curiously, sat up and stretched slightly so she could better see the big box on the floor. “Problem?” she asked.

“Well, mess, really.” He answered. She was about to give him another puzzled look, but just then, there was a bump from inside the box and her eyes widened.

"Whoops," Gabriel said, bending and reaching down to grab the box.

"Did-- Did that box just move?" Mandy asked, uncertainty written all over her face. Gabriel tried not to grin.

"Um... No?" Gabriel replied, pushing the box closer to her.

"Is this a trick or something?" Mandy asked, suddenly wondering if his ‘Trickster’ side was going to emerge and have a little mischievous fun with her.

Gabriel gave her a mock serious look. "You just have to open it and find out," he said, trying to keep his expression deadpan. Mandy looked at Gabriel warily for a moment before ripping at the paper and tentatively pulling the box open.

A little brown and white head popped out, golden eyes glowing with excitement. Mandy gasped. It was the puppy from the window earlier that day. The small dog yapped happily, jumping up and tipping the box over. It shook itself before jumping on the couch beside Mandy, putting its paws on her and stretching up to lick her chin. Even though she was still in shock, she laughed and grabbed the puppy, holding it up to her face. The puppy licked at her face some more and tried to wiggle its way out of her grasp. She gently set it down, and it ran and circled around her, climbing over her, jumping up occasionally on her so she could pet it. “Gabriel…” she said gently.

“Do you like him?” he asked eagerly.

“He’s beautiful … and this is so sweet of you … but ... I told you -- me, having a dog, a puppy …”

He held up his hands. “I got it all figured out. I popped in that library in town, and there were at least three fliers on the bulletin board about people who dog-sit or help out with pets when you’re away. Or any time, really. So why not it give it a try?” She looked at the puppy again, then back to him. He had a look of encouragement on his face. “And if for some reason it doesn’t work out … I know you’d find him a good home.” He gave her an endearing look. “I just wanted you to have him. Even if it’s just for a little.”

She looked at him, deeply touched, tears threatening to form in her eyes. She turned her gaze to the puppy again, who had ambled back over to her, tail wagging furiously. The puppy crouched down, then leaped at Mandy and nuzzled at her playfully. Mandy smiled and tickled the puppy behind its ears. Gabriel beamed at the sight of the two of them. Mandy laughed again as the puppy tried to bound away and tripped over its own feet. She kissed it on the head lovingly, stroking its fur. Then her brow furrowed slightly. "When did you do this? Get him, wrap him up, check out the library bulletin board??"  
  
He shrugged nonchalantly. "When you were in the bathroom, right before we left the comedy club. I had a 'double' there, standing in."   
  
She laughed and shook her head again, which caused the puppy to turn and lick her face a little more.

"So … what are you going to call him?" Gabriel asked her.

Mandy looked thoughtful for a few seconds. “I don’t know. I mean … he’s very spirited. Playful.” She watched the puppy crouch down like it was going to pounce on her again. “Kind of mischievous too.” She slowly looked up at Gabriel, with a look of amusement on her face. She raised her eyebrows at him.

Realization quickly spread over his face. “You’re joking, right?” he asked. Mandy smirked a little at him. “No,” Gabriel said. He held a finger up to emphasize it. “ _No_.” Mandy gave him puppy-dog eyes. “I mean it …” he said, “…don’t you dare …”

She rolled her eyes, still smirking. “Fine, I won’t … but you have to admit, it’s perfect.” He scowled slightly at her. She gave him a playful look in return. “Well then … how about … Loki?"

His expression softened, but he still raised an eyebrow at her. "Loki?"

“Sure. He definitely seems to have some ‘Trickster’ qualities.” She gave Gabriel a coy look. “And he’d still be called after a certain someone who shall remain nameless … "

Now it was Gabriel’s turn to roll his eyes, but he followed it with a tiny smile. “I guess I can live with that. Loki it is.” He glanced at the puppy, which tilted its head and gave Gabriel a puzzled look. Gabriel gave a good mimic of the look right back, including the head tilt.

Mandy laughed, stood up and walked over to Gabriel. "Thank you so much," she said sweetly, and she hugged him tenderly, leaning up and pressing her cheek against his, her body molding to him.

"Anything to make you happy, cutie pie," Gabriel smiled, placing his hands around her as well and turning his head to give her a gentle kiss. Loki gave a high-pitched bark. Gabriel turned toward the puppy. “Jealous already?” he asked. Loki gave a little half whine, half growl. “You really want to fight me, hmmm?” Gabriel gave the puppy a pointed look. “Well too bad … she’s mine right now.” Mandy looked at the puppy as well, chuckling, and Gabriel turned back and kissed the side of her neck. 

The puppy rolled over onto its back, as though trying to entice Mandy to tickle and rub its belly. Mandy looked at it for a few seconds. “Umm … Gabriel?”

“Hmmm?” Gabriel mumbled, still nuzzling her neck.

She hesitated, glancing once more to confirm. “I think Loki is a girl …”

Gabriel paused from kissing her, and turned to look at the puppy as well. After a few seconds, he let out a “Huh…” Mandy looked up into his face, amused. “Yeah, I think you’re right, “ he said. He stared at the puppy some more. “Well … he still seems like a good boy. “ He paused. “ _She_ still seems like a good boy.” Frowning, he said, “Oh whatever … you know what I mean …” And he turned back and dove into the soft curve of her neck again, working his way down the front of her as she chuckled some more, then sighed at what he was doing. He moved his head back up to stare into her eyes. “I believe it’s time for the _real_ final present.” He snapped his fingers and the two of them were in her bedroom again, at the foot of the bed.

Mandy frowned. “Well wait a minute … we can’t leave Loki out there alone.”

Gabriel blinked. “Sure we can,” he said in an offhand manner.

She crossed her arms. “No we can NOT. She’ll get lonely, or afraid. Tear the place up. Eat something she shouldn’t. Pee everywhere.”

Now he frowned as well. “Can’t your cats keep her company?”

“Or terrorize my cats. Or vice versa. No, she can’t be alone,” Mandy reiterated.

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll snap up a dogsitter...” then mumbled, “...already.” He lifted his hand to snap but she grabbed it and stopped him.

“That ridiculous! Besides, we’re actually going to mess around with a strange person right out there dogsitting??”

Gabriel shrugged, his face conveying _So?_ Mandy was still giving him a stern look and he sighed. “I’ve created a monster already.” He gave her an mock annoyed look which she returned matter-of-factly. “Fine.” He snapped and Loki was in the bedroom with them. The puppy started bouncing and yipping, running around them again. “No no no .. you go to sleep, you caffeinated furball,” he said.

Mandy chuckled. “You can’t make her go to sleep.” She had barely finished the sentence, when the puppy suddenly laid down and went promptly to sleep. “ _Gabriel!"_

“What?” he said, nonplussed. “She’s probably had a tough day. She could use it.”

“You made my dog go to sleep??”  
  
“Relax! She’s fine.” Mandy glared at him. “Oh come on, babe …. we’re talking, what, seven minutes that we need, tops? Ten if we're really lucky.” She tried not to snicker, and he put his arms around her, pulled her in a little. “But you know I’ll make it worth your while.”

Mandy was still trying to suppress her laughter. “You’re unbelievable.”

“And unforgettable. And generally awesome. Plus a great Christmas Eve planner and surpriser … right?” A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “Right?” he repeated, looking at her expectantly.

She huffed out a soft laugh. “Right,” she said tilting her head and wrapping her arms around his neck. ”You did great. A really good surprise, for once.”

“Uh huh. I’m quite spectacular, if I do say so myself.” She laughed and gave him a playful little hit on the chest. “So then,” he continued, “let’s get this celebration rounded out and end it on a super high note, shall we?” He picked her up and flopped onto the bed with her. She laughed as he peppered her with soft kisses. He was right. She’d had an awesome day. Things were still quite messed up out there, and she had no idea what was going to happen in the next few days, weeks, months. But at least she could say she’d had a pretty perfect Christmas with a pretty terrific archangel who had made her feel special and amazing and unbelievably happy. Turned out surprises could still be pretty good at times, for sure.


End file.
